There are known in the prior art many forms and arrangements of seats and beds for infant children. Due to the fact that infants cannot sit or raise their heads without support, a critical design feature of infant seats is that they support the infant for such purposes as feeding, napping, watching other activities, and the like. On the other hand, an infant generally should be confined when sleeping in a prone position, since they can roll in their sleep and travel laterally.
A popular form of convertible infant seat and bed includes a molded plastic frame in a generally rectangluar form, with low side walls extending from one end and both sides to form an upwardly opening coffer. An adjustable support leg extends from the bottom of the frame to support the frame on a level surface at various angles from substantially upright to fully reclined. The coffer portion usually contains a pillow which serves as a backrest for the infant when the seat is propped up on the support leg, and serves as a mattress when the seat is fully reclined so that the infant may sleep comfortably.
These plastic frame arrangements are certainly convenient and useful, yet they generally are less than comfortable. Young infants with little self-support capability tend to sag into the corners and crevices of the seat, due to the paucity of support for the child and the fact that many infants cannot coordinate the effort to regain a sitting position once they slide or slump to one side. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the seat pillow or cushion is often covered with a spill-resistant plastic material which is smooth and slippery.
A more serious drawback to the typical plastic frame convertible baby seat is that the supporting leg and edge portion of the seat require a relatively stable and horizontal surface so that the seat is supported with stability and safety. However, many serious accidents have occurred to infants in baby seats placed in recline on tables, sofas or chairs, and the like, due to uneven support of the leg and baby seat, and the resulting collapse of the seat.
A more traditional infant bed arrangement, the basket lined with a mattress and bunting, has been updated with modern fabrics and materials and a tote-bag approach. Such arrangements are fine for an infant sleeping or resting in recline, but the infant must be removed from the basket or tote for sitting and the like. Thus an extra seat often must be brought to accompany the basket or tote. The total effort required to travel with a small child is thereby increased.